This invention refers to a disseminated traction arrangement applied to single-axle train wheel sets provided with independent wheels. Specifically, the invention is applicable to TALGO(copyright) wheel sets or others of similar design.
As is known, TALGO(copyright) wheel sets consist of a wheel attached to a short axle housed at its end in respective bearing cases, one inner and one outer. These wheel sets are incorporated in the connection between two train wagons.
In order to reach high speeds of 300-350 km/h, it is necessary to have great power. Likewise, to prevent the vehicles which travel at such speeds from causing unacceptable damage to the track, it is necessary that their weight per axle does not exceed 17 tons. Due to this circumstance, it is not easily possible for those corresponding to the traction heads to be the only motor axles, as there is not enough adherent weight, which makes one fall back upon what is known as xe2x80x9cdisseminated tractionxe2x80x9d, that is, that all or most of the axles are motor axles.
What this solution achieves is that all or almost all the weight that gravitates on the vehicle""s wheels is adherent weight, which will allow not only markedly greater power, but also a marked total force in the wheel rims, without running the risk that slippage may be caused.
Attempts have already been made in the state of the art to devise a system in which the traction applied to a train comes not only from the locomotive, but also from motor axles incorporated in the wagons of the train. An example of this described in EP-A-0 825 085, which refers to a tractor bogie provided with a toothed extensible axle which is mounted between each pair of opposing wheels and to which the traction power generated by a motor is transmitted to make the wheels turn.
Starting from the known state of the art, the applicant has developed a disseminated traction arrangement applied to single-axle train wheel sets provided with independent wheels which is characterised in that, for each wheel, it comprises:
a traction motor;
an extensible shaft which has a homo-kinetic type joint, or similar, close to each of its ends and which, at one of the said ends, is connected to the axle of the traction motor and, at the other end, ends in a pinion; and
a crown wheel connected to the axle of the wheel and which engages, directly or by means of an intermediate gearwheel, with the pinion mounted on the shaft which comes from the traction motor,
so that by means of the pinion-crown group thus formed, the traction power generated by the motor is transmitted to the wheel.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the said pinion is a bevel pinion and the said crown is a bevel crown which engages directly with the pinion and is mounted on the inner side of the wheel, so that the traction generated by the motor is applied to the inner end of the wheel axle.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the said pinion is a spur pinion and the said crown is a spur crown which engages with the pinion by means of an intermediate spur gearwheel and is mounted on the outer side of the wheel, so that the traction generated by the motor is applied to the outer end of the wheel axle.
In both embodiments of the invention, the traction motor is hung from the body of a train wagon, which prevents an increase in non-suspended mass.